Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy

The Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy is an Indigenous urban land trust that formed with the objective to return or rematriate land to unrecognized Tongva descendants in the greater Los Angeles County area.[1][2][3] It was inspired by the work of the Sogorea Te’ Land Trust and has been associated with the Land Back movement.[4] The conservancy is notable for its part in the return of Tongva land in Los Angeles County for the first time in nearly 200 years.[2][5] The trust developed a kuuyam nahwá’a or "guest exchange" program for people who live and work in the tribe's traditional homelands to financially support the land trust's goals.[6]

Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy
PurposeLand return to the Indigenous peoples of the greater Los Angeles County area
Websitetongva.land

Background
Main article: Tongva § History

The tribe experienced genocide and displacement from their lands since the arrival of settlers in the Los Angeles Basin area, which began with the Spanish mission period. Mission San Gabriel was constructed in 1771 and became the site of displaced peoples and violence.[2]

In the American period, a state-sanctioned policy of elimination was enacted upon Indigenous peoples throughout the state known as the California genocide.[7] Indigenous peoples concealed their identities among Mexican communities to keep their communities and cultures alive.[3] In 1852, treaties that would have ensured about one-half of the current area of Los Angeles County for the tribe received hostility from settlers, who lobbied to prevent the treaties from being ratified.[8][9]

Without federal recognition, the Tongva remained without a land base and have been effectively landless in their own traditional homelands for hundreds of years.[2]

Formation
Part of the work of the land trust is to protect white sage plants in Southern California.[10]

The formation of the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy is part of an effort to return land throughout the traditional homelands of the Tongva to the tribe.[2][3] It was founded as a nonprofit organization.[1]

The objectives of the conservancy are to steward and heal the lands by returning native plants to areas that have been overrun by invasive species, to protect the theft and destruction of wild white sage plants, and to build community toward supporting tribal members and cultural practices.[11] The trust has also developed a kuuyam nahwá’a or "guest exchange" program for people who live and work in the tribe's traditional homelands to support the land trust's goals.[6]

History

The first land return was from a private resident of a 1-acre property (0.40 ha) in Altadena, California in October 2022. The return was notable for being the first time the tribe had land anywhere in Los Angeles County in nearly 200 years.[2] A grant to restore the sage scrub ecosystem was awarded in 2023 by the Wildlife Conservation Board.[12]

References
  1. Ogilvie, Jessica P. (October 10, 2022). "Why A Property Worth Millions Was Returned To The Tongva Tribe". LAist. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  2. Valdez, Jonah (October 10, 2022). "After nearly 200 years, the Tongva community has land in Los Angeles County". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  3. The Challenges and Opportunities for Rematriating Tovaangar - Wallace Cleaves on YouTube
  4. Golden, Kate (December 13, 2022). "How Indigenous People Got Some Land Back in Oakland". Bay Nature. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  5. "Los Angeles' first people, the Tongva community, have land in the county once again after 189 years". scoop.upworthy.com. October 11, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  6. "Support the Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy". Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  7. Dangelantonio, Matt (October 6, 2021). "What To Know About Land Acknowledgment, And Why It's Deeper Than Just A Statement". LAist. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  8. Bauer Jr., William J. (2016). The Oxford handbook of American Indian history. Frederick E. Hoxie. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 286–88. ISBN 978-0-19-985889-7. OCLC 920944737.
  9. "Tongva Return the Land Fund". Tongva Taraxat Paxaavxa Conservancy. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  10. "Designing for Green Justice: Centering Indigenous Land Access, Stewardship, and Return & Protect White Sage Campaign". ArtCenter College of Design. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  11. Campus, Quaker (November 28, 2022). "Tongva People and the Connection to Whittier College". The Quaker Campus. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  12. "Grant Award Leads to Historic Acquisition by California's First Black-led Land Conservation Organization". CDFW News. California Department of Fish and Wildlife. August 31, 2023. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
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